The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has approved an annual budget of Rs. 10 crore for its Mizoram chapter to develop the cane and handloom units in the State.

According to the State Government, the annual grant has been a shot in the arm for the State KVI Board which had been in acute financial crunch due to bad loan recovery.

With an average loan recovery of about 33 per cent, the board had not expected the in toto approval of its budget. But this additional funding would help Mizoram to sustain its industrial development programmes.

The Rs. 10 crore grant is at least 60 per cent higher than the grant given to the State KVI Board last year.

The recent State Government’s decision to purchase teak wood and cane furnitures for its offices would not only encourage the local manufacturers, but would also help the KVI Board to recover its loans.

The Mizoram is also trying to enter in an agreement with Khansari sugar unit to use its waste for producing varnish and paints. The Rs. five crore project will be taken up by the KVI.

Meanwhile, the department of telecommunication has introduced a video-conferencing facility in its integrated service digital network (ISDN), to allow the North-Eastern region to have such facility.

Under the new service, subscribers in Mizoram, can now send data and images simultaneously to other centres connected with similar facilities.